The Stray Cats may have disbanded years ago, but that hasn’t stopped drummer Slim Jim Phantom from doing what he does best.
Slim Jim's kept himself pretty busy in the wake of the Stray Cats. He's undertaken a series of side-projects, including the supergroup The Head Cat alongside Motorhead's Lemmy, and has been working on a record with guitarist Earl Slick and Glen Matlock, of Sex Pistols fame. Now he's ready to take to the stage under his own banner.
Having been involved in so many things over the past few years, there's no doubt Slim Jim's skills have remained sharp as ever. Contributing to this is his active gigging in the rockabilly scene. “I did, very recently, gigs in Vegas, LA, Milwaukee,” he says, jokingly adding, “I'm a drummer, I gotta take shows when they're offered, right?”
Despite his wisecrack at the drummer lifestyle, Slim Jim has been fortunate enough to play alongside other bona fide rock legends, from '90s-era Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke all the way to the incomparable Jerry Lee Lewis – whom Slim Jim described as a “larger than life guy” with a big shadow. Others on Slim Jim's “collaborator bucket list” include Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney, although he laughs at the improbability given that “they got good drummers” already.
For his self-titled act, Slim Jim will be joined on stage by Polecats vocalist Tim Polecat and Australia's own Dave Bean, frontman for punkabilly act Casino Rumblers, with plans to perform material from both the Stray Cats and Polecats catalogues, as well as some “old family favourites”.
While recognised as a pioneer of the rockabilly movement – including his minimalist drum kit and signature “stand-up” playing style – Slim Jim doesn't intend to innovate the genre this time around, believing that those years are behind him. “You have to be careful, I don't know if you can keep innovating,” he muses. “You have to define something and be good at it and it's up to the next guy to take your innovation and mix it with his own vision. That's how you keep it all fresh.”
That said, he’s still very pleased with having spearheaded the neo-rockabilly scene to the extent he did with the Stray Cats. “When the Stray Cats innovated the whole thing, made it all possible for anyone to play it since us, that's been our standing contribution. We were the first guys to have a hit record with it, changing the format. It's up to the next [generation] to do what the Stray Cats did, make a new blueprint.
“I'm happy it's someone else's turn to have a hit record. JD McPherson, he's doing good. Imelda May is a favourite, she's awesome. The fact that the Stray Cats, years ago, had a hit record made it possible for young people to get into it now.”
Slim Jim is also very positive about the modern resurgence of rockabilly culture, reiterating his desire to pass on the torch. While discussing the youth of today's version of neo-rockabilly – or should that be neo-neo-rockabilly? – he reminisced about his many tours to Japan, a country with a thriving, long-standing rockabilly scene. “The first time the Stray Cats went there in 1981, it was a hard day's night, people would be at the airport, outside the hotel, that whole thing,” he recalls, saying he still gets a similar response 30 years later.
“They're crazy for it, they have their own scene of these Japanese kids that live for it. Young people are always gonna go out and seek an alternative to what's currently on the radio or in vogue, the same way the Stray Cats did. We were looking for something different and stumbled across rockabilly and were immediately, 100 percent hooked by it. So I think it's happened to young people again.”
Like Japan, Slim Jim also acknowledges Australia as having a very strong rockabilly culture, thanking the country for supporting his return even without the other Stray Cats in tow. Indeed, the last time Australian audiences saw him was during the band's ‘Farewell (Australia) Tour’ back in 2008, the first time they'd played down under in almost two decades. When asked about a possible Stray Cats reunion, Slim Jim was optimistic, but wished the Farewell Tour hadn't been given that name. “Farewell Tour was not what I'd have called it,” claims Slim Jim. “I don't think it's a positive thing to ever say goodbye if you're gonna stop something. I think it's always best to leave things open.”
Written by Simon Jun
Slim Jim Phantom Tour Dates
Fri Jun 6 – Racecourse Hotel (Ipswich)Sat Jun 7 – Cooly Rocks On Festival (Gold Coast)
Sun Jun 8 – Caxton Street Seafood & Wine Festival (Brisbane)
Sun Jun 8 – Bramble Bay Bowls Club (Bramble Bay)
Mon Jun 9 – The Factory Theatre (Sydney)
Thu Jun 12 – Ding Dong Lounge (Melbourne)
Fri Jun 13 – Republic Bar (Hobart)
Sat Jun 14 – Fowlers Live (Adelaide)
Sun Jun 15 – The Astor Theatre (Perth)
